As the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons geared up for the second half of their Friday night matchup, the Jazz made a critical call regarding the availability of their star rookie, Ace Bailey.
The team officially announced that he wouldn’t return for the second half of the matchup.
According to a team-released statement, the Jazz have described Bailey’s setback as a left hip flexor strain. His availability moving forward remains unclear.
After Friday’s game, Jazz head coach Will Hardy spoke on the setback.
“I know it’s a hip-flexor strain,” he told reporters. “The severity of it, which I don’t know at this time.”
Going into the half, the Jazz trailed the Pistons 68-67. Although Bailey got the start for the night, he only appeared in 11 minutes before heading back to the locker room.
The young star put up just two shots during his short-lived shift. Unfortunately, he didn’t score any points before he had to call it a night. Beyond scoring, Bailey came down with two rebounds, snatched one steal, and blocked a shot on the defensive end.
The Jazz haven’t established themselves as playoff contenders in the Western Conference so far this season, but they are having a better-than-expected run.
Heading into Friday’s battle with Detroit, the Jazz hold a record of 10-19. Once viewed as a potential rebuilding franchise with a seller’s mindset, the Jazz are rumored to be all-in on continuing to build around the veteran Lauri Markkanen, while viewing Bailey as a cornerstone player for the future.
Despite a shaky pre-draft process, Bailey still went top-five in the NBA Draft in 2025. Coming out of Rutgers, Bailey was the fifth-overall pick for the Jazz.
Prior to Friday’s game, Bailey started in 20 of 29 games for the Jazz. So far, he’s shooting 44 percent from the field and knocking down 35 percent of his threes. The rookie is posting averages of 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and nearly one steal per game.
Although Bailey’s chances of winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award slipped away early, as Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Derik Queen have the strongest cases right now, the Jazz are far from concerned.
Bailey’s availability will be something to monitor moving forward, but as long as he’s available, he’ll continue to play a key role for the Jazz.